Abstract: A method and system for detecting electrical short circuit defects in a plate structure of a flat panel display, for example, a field emission display (FED) is disclosed. In one embodiment, the process first applies a stimulation to the electrical conductors of the plate structure. Next, the process creates an infra-red thermal mapping of a cathode region of the FED. For example, an infra-red array may be used to snap a picture of the cathode of the FED. Then, the process analyzes the infra-red thermal mapping to determine a region of the FED which contains the electrical short circuit defect. Another embodiment localizes the defect to one sub-pixel by performing an infra-red mapping of the region which the previous IR mapping process determined to contain the electrical short circuit defect. Then, the process analyzes this infra-red mapping to determine a sub-pixel of the FED which contains the electrical short circuit defect.

Abstract: A method and system for detecting electrical short circuit defects in a plate structure of a flat panel display, for example, a field emission display (FED). In one embodiment, the process first applies a stimulation to the electrical conductors of the plate structure. Next, the process creates an infra-red thermal mapping of a cathode region the FED. For example, an infra-red array may be used to snap a picture of the cathode of the FED. Then, the process analyzes the infra-red thermal mapping to determine a region of the FED which contains the electrical short circuit defect. Another embodiment localizes the defect to one sub-pixel by performing an infra-red mapping of the region which the previous IR mapping process determined to contain the electrical short circuit defect. Then, the process analyzes this infra-red mapping to determine a sub-pixel of the FED which contains the electrical short circuit defect.